SSUSI-Lite is a far-ultraviolet (115-180nm) hyperspectral imager for monitoring space weather. The SSUSI and GUVI sensors, its predecessors, have demonstrated their value as space weather monitors. SSUSI-Lite is a refresh of the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (SSUSI) design that has flown on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft F16 through F19. The refresh updates the 25-year-old design and insures that the next generation of SSUSI/GUVI sensors can be accommodated on any number of potential platforms. SSUSI-Lite maintains the same optical layout as SSUSI, includes updates to key functional elements, and reduces the sensor volume, mass, and power requirements. SSUSI-Lite contains an improved scanner design that results in precise mirror pointing and allows for variable scan profiles. The detector electronics have been redesigned to employ all digital pulse processing. The largest decrease in volume, mass, and power has been obtained by consolidating all control and power electronics into one data processing unit.

The SSULI (Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager) is a limb-scanning far- and extreme-ultraviolet spectrometer flying on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). The sensor sensitivity is tracked through the mission life by taking advantage of serendipitous stellar apparitions which, over the course of several days, track across the sensor’s field of view, allowing for not only the production of a sensitivity curve when compared against the known stellar spectra, but additionally pointing information and field-of-view information can be gleaned from comparing the star’s expected and observed positions. Most notably, because the star’s apparition traces across the field of view predictably in one axis, and randomly in another, multiple apparitions of these point sources can be used to map out the gain on the detector’s entire surface, revealing the existence and extent of localized gain sags. Additionally, multiple, routinized, and scheduled calibrations can be used to track sensor behavior through the mission life, including effects like a detector scrub, photocathode performance, and possible optics contamination. Results from the SSULI 002/DMSP F18 and SSULI 005/DMSP F19 stellar calibrations are presented.

The Winds-Ions-Neutral Composition Suite (WINCS) instrument, also known as the Small Wind and Temperature Spectrometer (SWATS), was designed and developed jointly by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for ionosphere-thermosphere investigations in orbit between 120 and 550 km altitude. The WINCS instrument houses four spectrometers in a single package with size, weight, and power compatible with a CubeSat. These spectrometers provide the following measurements: neutral winds, neutral temperature, neutral density, neutral composition, ion drifts, ion temperature, ion density and ion composition. The instrument is currently operating on the International Space Station and on the STP-Sat3 spacecraft. Data from the Ion-Drift Temperature-Spectrometer (IDTS) are used to compute the ion drift, temperature, and density in the presence of large changes in spacecraft potential. A summary is given of future flight manifests.

Electronics used for space applications (e.g. communication satellites) are susceptible to space weather, primarily consisting of electrons and protons. As more critical equipment is used in space, a comprehensive monitoring network is needed to mitigate risks associated with radiation damage. Compact detectors suited for this requirement have been too complicated or do not provide sufficient information. As the damage from electrons (e.g. total ionizing dose effects) is significantly different compared to protons (e.g. displacement damage effects), monitors that can provide unique measurements of the dose and/or spectral information for electrons and protons separately are necessary for mission assessment to determine strategies for maintaining function. Previously, we demonstrated that the Proton-Electron Discrimination Detector (PEDD) is space-compatible and can discriminate fast electrons from protons using a diphenylanthrecene (DPA) scintillator coupled to a CMOS silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). The SiPM has a temperature dependence, and a circuit has been developed to provide a stable response as a function of temperature. The PEDD detector is scheduled to participate on the RHEME experiment to be flown on the ISS, scheduled for launch in 2016.

Effects of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) on spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) are well known and documented. The SAA exposes spacecraft in LEO to high dose of ionizing radiation as well as higher than normal rates of Single Event Upsets (SEU) and Single Event Latch-ups (SEL). CubeSats, spacecraft built around 10 x 10 x 10 cm cubes, are even more susceptible to SEUs and SELs due to the use of commercial off-the-shelf components for electronics and payload instrumentation. Examination of the SAA using both data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and a new set of models for the flux of particles is presented. The models, AE9, AP9, and SPM for energetic electrons, energetic protons and space plasma, were developed for use in space system design. These models introduce databased statistical constraints on the uncertainties from measurements and climatological variability. Discussion of the models’ capabilities and limitations with regard to LEO CubeSat design is presented.

In the framework of development of ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun), the Centre Spatial de Liege is responsible of the optical design of the coronagraph and the optics will be manufactured by TOPTEC. The particularity of this coronagraph is to have an external occulter located 150 m ahead of the first imaging lens. This external occulter is re-imaged on an internal occulter which function is - as in a classical externally occulted Lyot coronagraph - to block the sun light diffracted by the external occulter and to reduce the straylight on the detector. The selection of this configuration is driven by the requirement to observe the corona as close as possible to the solar limb (i.e. 1 RSun) without imaging the limb itself. A requirement of 1.08 RSun is specified at optical design level to grant 1.2 Rsun at instrument level. The coronograph instrument is designed to have a field of view of 1.6° x 1.6° with a resolution of less than 6 arcsec. Its performances are limited by diffraction in a 530 – 590 nm wavelength range. This paper presents the optical design and demonstrates that by design the requirements are fulfilled within the misalignment, manufacturing and thermo-elastic error contributions.

The “sonic region” of the Sun corona remains extremely difficult to observe with spatial resolution and sensitivity sufficient to understand the fine scale phenomena that govern the quiescent solar corona, as well as phenomena that lead to coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which influence space weather. Improvement on this front requires eclipse-like conditions over long observation times. The space-borne coronagraphs flown so far provided a continuous coverage of the external parts of the corona but their over-occulting system did not permit to analyse the part of the white-light corona where the main coronal mass is concentrated. The proposed PROBA-3 Coronagraph System, also known as ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun), with its novel design, will be the first space coronagraph to cover the range of radial distances between ~1.08 and 3 solar radii where the magnetic field plays a crucial role in the coronal dynamics, thus providing continuous observational conditions very close to those during a total solar eclipse. PROBA-3 is first a mission devoted to the in-orbit demonstration of precise formation flying techniques and technologies for future European missions, which will fly ASPIICS as primary payload. The instrument is distributed over two satellites flying in formation (approx. 150m apart) to form a giant coronagraph capable of producing a nearly perfect eclipse allowing observing the sun corona closer to the rim than ever before. The coronagraph instrument is developed by a large European consortium including about 20 partners from 7 countries under the auspices of the European Space Agency. This paper is reviewing the recent improvements and design updates of the ASPIICS instrument as it is stepping into the detailed design phase.

PROBA3 is an ESA technology mission devoted to in-orbit demonstration of the formation flight (FF) technique, with two satellites kept at an average inter-distance by about 144 m. The ASPIIC instrument on-board PROBA3 will be the first ever space-based coronagraph working on one satellite and having the external occulter located on the second satellite, thus allowing observations of the inner solar corona with unprecedented reduction of stray light. During the observational periods, the FF configuration will be maintained with very high precision and two different techniques will be implemented: the use of Shadow Positioning Sensors (SPS) located on the Coronagraph Spacecraft (diodes measuring the penumbral light intensity on the entrance pupil plane) and the use of Occulter Position Sensor LEDs (OPSE) located on the back side of the Occulter Spacecraft. This paper will review the main instrumental requirements on the SPS needed to determine the 3-dimensional relative positioning of the two PROBA3 satellites with high precision.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning to launch in 2018 the PROBA3 Mission, designed to demonstrate the inorbit formation flying (FF) attitude capability of its two satellites and to observe the inner part of the visible solar corona as the main scientific objective.

The solar corona will be observed thanks to the presence on the first satellite, facing the Sun, of an external occulter producing an artificial eclipse of the Sun disk. The second satellite will carry on the coronagraph telescope and the digital camera system in order to perform imaging of the inner part of the corona in visible polarized light, from 1.08 R⦿ up to about 3 R⦿.

One of the main metrological subsystems used to control and to maintain the relative (i.e. between the two satellites) and absolute (i.e. with respect to the Sun) FF attitude is the Shadow Position Sensor (SPS) assembly. It is composed of eight micro arrays of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) able to measure with the required sensitivity and dynamic range the penumbral light intensity on the Coronagraph entrance pupil.

In the following of the present paper we describe the overall SPS subsystem and its readout electronics with respect to the capability to satisfy the mission requirements, from the light conversion process on board the silicon-based SPS devices up to the digital signal readout and sampling.

PROBA-3/ASPIICS is a formation flying coronagraph selected by ESA and currently in its C/D phase. It is constituted by two spacecrafts (OSC, Occulter SpaceCraft, carrying the occulter, diameter 142 cm, and CSC, Coronagraph SpaceCraft, with the telescope) separated by ~144 m, kept in strict alignment by means of an active custom system. The alignment active system most critical components are the Shadow Positioning Sensors (SPS), a series of Si-PM (Silicon Photomultiplier) measuring the penumbra generated by the occulter. The arrangement of the SPSs around the telescope entrance aperture is defined as a trade-off between mechanical constraints and maximum sensitivity to misalignments. The signal detected by the SPSs can be approximately simulated with a geometrical analysis based on the variation of the penumbra generated by the external occulter. The stray light generated by the diffraction from the external occulter may affect the SPSs signal. It is mandatory to carefully evaluate its level in order to refine the active alignment adjustment algorithm. This work is dedicated to the description of the preliminary investigation performed in order to evaluate the impact of the diffraction on the SPSs signal.

In recent years, ESA has assessed several mission involving formation flying (FF). The great interest in this topics is mainly driven by the need for moving from ground to space the location of next generation astronomical telescopes overcoming most of the critical problems, as example the construction of huge baselines for interferometry. In this scenario, metrology systems play a critical role. PROBA3 is an ESA technology mission devoted to in-orbit demonstration of the FF technique, with two satellites, an occulter and a main satellite housing a coronagraph named ASPIICS, kept at an average inter-distance by about 144m, with micron scale accuracy. The guiding proposal is to test several metrology solution for spacecraft alignment, with the important scientific return of having observation of Corona at never reached before angular field. The Shadow Position Sensors (SPS), and the Optical Position Emitters Sensors (OPSE) are two of the systems used for FF fine tracking. The SPS are finalized to monitor the position of the two spacecraft with respect to the Sun and are discussed in dedicated papers presented in this conference. The OPSE will monitor the relative position of the two satellites and consists of 3 emitters positioned on the rear surface of the occulter, that will be observed by the coronagraph itself. By following the evolution of the emitters images at the focal plane the alignment of the two spacecrafts is retrieved via dedicated centroiding algoritm. We present an overview of the OPSE system and of the centroiding approach.

The Solar Orbiter mission is composed of ten scientific instruments dedicated to the observation of the Sun’s atmosphere and its heliosphere, taking advantage of an out-of ecliptic orbit and at perihelion reaching a proximity close to 0.28 A.U. On board Solar Orbiter, the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) will provide full-Sun image sequences of the solar corona in the extreme ultraviolet (17.1 nm and 30.4 nm), and high-resolution image sequences of the solar disk in the extreme ultraviolet (17.1 nm) and in the vacuum ultraviolet (121.6 nm). The EUI concept uses heritage from previous similar extreme ultraviolet instrument. Additional constraints from the specific orbit (thermal and radiation environment, limited telemetry download) however required dedicated technologies to achieve the scientific objectives of the mission. The development phase C of the instrument and its sub-systems has been successfully completed, including thermomechanical and electrical design validations with the Structural Thermal Model (STM) and the Engineering Model (EM). The instrument STM and EM units have been integrated on the respective spacecraft models and will undergo the system level tests. In parallel, the Phase D has been started with the sub-system qualifications and the flight parts manufacturing. The next steps of the EUI development will be the instrument Qualification Model (QM) integration and qualification tests. The Flight Model (FM) instrument activities will then follow with the acceptance tests and calibration campaigns.

The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) is one of the remote sensing instruments on-board the Solar Orbiter mission. It will provide dual-band full-Sun images of the solar corona in the extreme ultraviolet (17.1 nm and 30.4 nm), and high resolution images of the solar disk in both extreme ultraviolet (17.1 nm) and vacuum ultraviolet (Lyman-alpha 121.6 nm). The EUI optical design takes heritage of previous similar instruments. The Full Sun Imager (FSI) channel is a single mirror Herschel design telescope. The two High Resolution Imager (HRI) channels are based on a two-mirror optical refractive scheme, one Ritchey-Chretien and one Gregory optical design for the EUV and the Lyman-alpha channels, respectively. The spectral performances of the EUI channels are obtained thanks to dedicated mirror multilayer coatings and specific band-pass filters. The FSI channel uses a dual-band mirror coating combined with aluminum and zirconium band-pass filters. The HRI channels use optimized band-pass selection mirror coatings combined with aluminum band-pass filters and narrow band interference filters for Lyman-alpha. The optical performances result from accurate mirror manufacturing tolerances and from a two-step alignment procedure. The primary mirrors are first co-aligned. The HRI secondary mirrors and focal planes positions are then adjusted to have an optimum interferometric cavity in each of these two channels. For that purpose a dedicated alignment test setup has been prepared, composed of a dummy focal plane assembly representing the detector position. Before the alignment on the flight optical bench, the overall alignment method has been validated on the Structural and Thermal Model, on a dummy bench using flight spare optics, then on the Qualification Model to be used for the system verification test and qualifications.

Low energy ions coming from the quite solar wind are considered among the causes of potential damage of the optical instrumentation and components on board of ESA Solar Orbiter. Predictions of space radiation parameters are available for instruments on board of such mission. Accelerators are commonly used to reproduce the particle irradiation on a spacecraft during its lifetime at the ground level. By selecting energies and equivalent doses it is possible to replicate the damage induced on space components. Implantation of Helium ions has been carried out on different single layer thin films at LEI facility at Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf varying the total dose. Profile of the implanted samples has been experimentally recovered by SIMS measurements. The change in reflectance performances of such coatings has been experimentally evaluated and modelled. The outcomes have been used to verify the potential impact on the METIS instrument and to drive the optimization of the M0 mirror coating..

RAL Space is enhancing its program to lead the development of European capabilities in space-based visible-light coronal and heliospheric imaging instrumentation in the light of emerging opportunities such as the European Space Agency’s Space Situational Awareness program and recent S2 small-mission call. Visible-light coronal and heliospheric imaging of solar wind phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections and interaction regions, is of critical importance to space weather studies, both operationally and in terms of enabling the underpinning science. This work draws on heritage from scientific instruments such as LASCO (Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph) on the SOHO spacecraft, SMEI (Solar Mass Ejection Imager) on the Coriolis spacecraft and the HI (Heliospheric Imager) instruments on STEREO. Such visible-light observation of solar wind structures relies on the detection of sunlight that has been Thomson-scattered by electrons (the so-called K-corona). The Thomson-scattered signal must be extracted from other signals that can be many orders of magnitude greater (such as that from the F-corona and the solar disc itself) and this places stringent constraints on stray-light rejection, as well as pointing stability and accuracy. We discuss the determination of instrument requirements, key design trade-offs and the evolution of base-line designs for the coronal and heliospheric regimes. We explain how the next generation of instruments will build on this heritage while also, in some cases, meeting the challenges on resources imposed on operational space weather imagers. In particular, we discuss the optical engineering challenges involved in the design of these instruments.

ASO-S is a mission proposed for the 25th solar maximum by the Chinese solar community. The scientific objectives are to study the relationships among solar magnetic field, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). ASO-S consists of three payloads: Full-disk Magnetograph (FMG), Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope (LST), and Hard X-ray Imager (HXI), to measure solar magnetic field, to observe CMEs and solar flares, respectively. ASO-S is now under the phase-B studies. This paper makes a brief introduction to the mission.

Detection of polarization and spectra measurement of X-ray solar flare emission are indispensable in improving our understanding of the processes releasing energy of these most energetic phenomena in the solar system. We shall present some details of the construction of SolpeX – an innovative Bragg soft X-ray flare polarimeter and spectrometer. The instrument is a part of KORTES – Russian instrument complex to be mounted aboard the science module to be attached to the International Space Station (2017/2018).

The SolpeX will be composed of three individual measuring units: the soft X-ray polarimeter with 1-2% linear polarization detection threshold, a fast-rotating flat crystal X-ray spectrometer with a very high time resolution (0.1 s) and a simple pinhole soft X-ray imager-spectrometer with a moderate spatial (~20 arcsec), spectral (0.5 keV) and high time resolution (0.1 s). Having a fast rotating unit to be served with power, telemetry and “intelligence” poses a challenge for the designer. Some of the solutions to this will be provided and described.

This paper describes recent progress in the development of new EUV multilayer coatings for solar physics. In particular, we present results obtained with Pd/B4C/Y, Al/Zr, and Al-Mg/SiC multilayers, designed for normal incidence operation in the 9 – 50 nm wavelength range. We describe the development of both periodic multilayer films designed for narrowband imaging, and non-periodic multilayers designed to have a broad-spectral response for spectroscopy. The higher EUV reflectance provided by these new coatings, relative to older-generation coatings such as Si/Mo, Mo/Y, and others, will facilitate the development of future solar physics instruments for both imaging and spectroscopy having higher spatial and spectral resolution, while supporting the exposure times and cadences necessary to capture the evolution of flares, jets, CMEs and other dynamic processes in the solar atmosphere.

Thin-film aluminum filters degrade in space with significant reduction of their Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) transmission. This degradation was observed on the EUV Spectrophotometer (ESP) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory’s EUV Variability Experiment and the Solar EUV Monitor (SEM) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. One of the possible causes for deterioration of such filters over time is contamination of their surfaces from plumes coming from periodic firing of their satellite’s Monomethylhydrazine (MMH) – Nitrogen Tetroxide (NTO) thrusters. When adsorbed by the filters, the contaminant molecules are exposed to solar irradiance and could lead to two possible compositions. First, they could get polymerized leading to a permanent hydrocarbon layer buildup on the filter’s surface. Second, they could accelerate and increase the depth of oxidation into filter’s bulk aluminum material. To study the phenomena we experimentally replicate contamination of such filters in a simulated environment by MMH-NTO plumes. We apply, Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy to characterize the physical and the chemical changes on these contaminated sample filter surfaces. In addition, we present our first analysis of the effects of additional protective layer coatings based on self-assembled carbon monolayers for aluminum filters. This coverage is expected to significantly decrease their susceptibility to contamination and reduce the overall degradation of filter-based EUV instruments over their mission life.

The METIS coronagraph on board the Solar Orbiter mission will have the unique opportunity of observing the solar outer atmosphere as close to the Sun as 0.28 A.U., and from up to 35° out-of-ecliptic. The telescope design of the METIS coronagraph includes two optical paths: i) broad-band imaging of the full corona in linearly polarized visible-light (VL: 580-640 nm), ii) narrow-band imaging of the full corona in the ultraviolet (UV) Lyman α (121.6 nm). This paper describes the stray-light analyses performed on the UV and VL channels of the METIS Telescope with the nonsequential modality of Zemax OpticStudio. A detailed opto-mechanical model of the METIS Telescope is simulated by placing the CAD parts of all the sub-assemblies at the nominal position. Each surface, mechanical and optical, is provided with a modelled coating and BSDF reproducing the optical and the diffusing properties. The geometric model allows for the verification of the correct functioning of the blocking elements inside the telescope and for an evaluation of the stray-light level due to surface roughness. The diffraction off the inner edge of the IEO on the plane of the IO is modelled separately from the contributor of the surface micro-roughness. The contributors due to particle contamination and cosmetic defects are also analysed. The results obtained are merged together and compared to the requirements of stray-light. The results of this analysis together with those from two different analyses based on a Montecarlo ray-trace and a semi-analytical model are consistent with each other and indicate that the METIS design meets the stray-light level requirements

The measurement of the stray-rejection capabilities of METIS is part of the acceptance package of the instrument. The Illumination System in Visible Light (ISVL) has been developed to allow the stray-light rejection measurement down to 1x10-9 and under different operating conditions. The main characteristics of ISVL are outlined and discussed; the activities for the integration and verification of ISVL included the absolute radiometric characterization of the facility, including radiance measurement and radiance spatial and angular distribution. The procedures used to measure the performances of the facility are discussed and the obtained results illustrated.